2022 trade rumors: Are the Giants interested in Jerry Jeudy?

The New York Giants already made headlines on Thursday when they traded 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs.

But even before the Giants traded Toney, rumors were circulating that they might be interested in going out and getting help at wide receiver. Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy was brought up as a possible target of the Giants over the last couple days.

There have been reports that there’s interest in Jeudy from around the NFL. The former 15th overall pick was viewed as one of the top receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft and has considerable upside despite the slow start to his career. And though reporters in Denver have said that the Broncos aren’t currently planning on moving Jeudy, that doesn’t mean they can’t change their mind.

Denver’s (potential) reluctance to trade Jeudy aside, there are a few stumbling blocks to overcome. The first would be the potential trade compensation. while the Giants acquired a compensatory third round pick for Toney, Jeudy could command a second round pick if the Broncos view him as a potential long-term asset for Russell Wilson. That price might be too steep for the Giants, who want to build through the draft.

That price could even go up if teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, or Philadelphia Eagles choose to pursue Jeudy.

The other consideration is the ever-present specter of the salary cap.

The Giants only have about $3.2 million in cap space as of this writing (per OverTheCap) and acquiring Jeudy would also mean acquiring his fully-guaranteed $1.9 million salary. While the Giants could afford it, they would be left with precious little cap space to address any injuries that might occur over the final nine games of the season. While trading Kadarius Toney has realized some salary cap relief, it’s only about $800,000.

The Giants have an obvious need at wide receiver, and we could see Joe Schoen look to the trade market for help now. There are a number of receivers brought up as potential options besides Jeudy, such as D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, or Elijah Moore.

The Broncos have had one of the most surprising starts in the NFL, plummeting to an embarrassing 2-5 record after acquiring Russell Wilson in the offseason. They have reportedly received “competitive” trade offers for EDGE Bradley Chubb, and a loss this weekend could spark a fire sale in advance of a roster rebuild.

To be clear, there are no concrete reports regarding the Giants plans between now and the trading deadline. However, the chatter is getting loud enough that we should at least take note.